A Special SALAR is for Sale
Not just a motor sailor
I always feel a little conflicted when I see boats drawn by John Laurent Giles, who died 50 years ago this year.
The efficacy of his designs is beyond question. The VERTUE for instance, would have a reasonable claim for the most successful ever keelboat under 30ft, and his philosophy “that a yacht should have the utmost docility and sureness of manoeuvring at sea, in good or bad weather" was without doubt realised in all his yachts. Yet occasionally the minimal overhangs and bizarre reverse sheers that he drew were just blatantly unattractive. This certainly isn’t the case with WAYFARER II. Salar 40s were designed to be safe, comfortable, and seaworthy, and to travel long distances. ‘A round the world yacht’ was the marketing slogan when the boat was built, and it wasn’t just hot air. There aren’t many in the US, but in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand she is a well-respected blue water design, many of which have circumnavigated.
Last week Anne Clark contacted as she is reluctantly having to put her beautiful Kauri edition of this yacht on the market. She told us a little of the history.
"My association with WAYFARER II began in 2009 when I was invited for a brief sail on her in the D’Entre Casteaux Channel region of South East Tasmania by her then owner who had just sailed her across the ditch from her birthplace in Tauranga in New Zealand. At that time, I had absolutely no aspirations to buy a yacht. However, as I stepped aboard and looked around, I found myself admitting that, if I had to, I could live on this boat! My only previous sailing skills were learnt along with my children on our Mirror dinghy, and occasional sails on a couple of full-sized yachts. I quickly dismissed any thoughts of owning WAYFARER
at that time.”
Designed by Laurent Giles (UK), to the Salar 40 type, WAYFARER II was built by Dooley Wilson in Tauranga New Zealand in 1981 from NZ Kauri Pine, triple planked, diagonal, with rather a large amount of epoxy applied, I have been told it was the first he had done of this construction so tripled the amount needed! It has been said that she will outlast any of the ‘plastic’ boats in terms of strength. A nice touch is the distinctive Maori carving either side of her bow bestowing safe passage to the sailors of this vessel.
Only in NZ - a Bow featuring Maori carving.
One certainly feels safe aboard. Her first owner sadly became ill so was unable to enjoy her. The next owner began adventuring off-shore with her, to Fiji (twice, I believe) from New Zealand. It was her next owner who in 2008 purchased her, renewed many items, before sailing her to Australia, by way of Lord Howe Island for immigration clearance. From there she was sailed down to Hobart and the marina in Kettering where my first introduction took place.
An Aussie berth in Kettering.
Fast forward to 2015 and a new relationship I had formed with someone with lots of sailing experience previously, especially in the UK, but without a yacht of his own, was the catalyst to explore the possibility of us having our own yacht. Heaven forbid I found myself agreeing! When the owner of WAYFARER with whom I first went on board heard about this, he contacted the person he had on-sold the boat to, and found it might possibly be for sale again! I wasted no time to inspect again as I really had fallen in love with her some years before. I was not disappointed with my second impressions and I suddenly found myself a large(-ish) yacht owner, but with lots of technical backup.
As an aside, I have been told that the first Wayfarer was in the first Sydney-Hobart yacht race and still holds the record for the slowest time of some 13 days. When her log is read however all is explained: “Saw a nice inlet we thought worth exploring…..had a nice crayfish dinner last night….” I have told any crew/passengers on board Wayfarer II she has the same laid-back culture. She does however perform well for time compared with other yachts I have found, for instance on our voyages across waters of Southern Tassie back from SW area, and also trips up to Schouten passage when everything was ‘on the nose’.
Life often takes untoward turns and for me it was the accidental death of my sailor skipper partner in a car accident a year later. I could have sold her then but did not want to. My learning curve just became dramatically steeper. WAYFARER has been very kind to me during this process, very forgiving if I didn’t get the points of sail quite right, and withstanding some serious unexpected changes in weather conditions or sea state. She loves big seas. I enjoy the way she ‘lollops’ comfortably and smoothly through it all.
She has been taken to the South West of Tassie twice, to Wineglass Bay twice, around Maria Island, through Dunally Canal, around Tasman Island, across Storm Bay to Port Arthur and back several times, around Bruny Island twice, and numerous day/weekend sails in the Channel Area from top to bottom, and of course not to mention the Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart in 2017. Though out these adventures there have been exhilarating moments and scary ones, wonderful scenery and foul weather.
Many new friendships have been fostered. Precious memories of times on this precious boat will remain with me. By the way varnishing her brightwork only takes 4 days once a year (2 for prep, and a coat of varnish over the whole exterior brightwork in a day, repeated the second day, and that’s job done).
The tricky part here in Hobart is picking when the weather will provide 2 consecutive warm dry days! You folk further north would not have this problem.
Bathurst Harbour with Mount Rugby behind.
Port Davey, South West Tasmania
Now that, because of health reasons, I have no choice but to part with her since I cannot continue on my own, I look back with pride at what she, and my numerous ‘random’ crew have taught me. I never intended to be a skipper, but fell into that role. As a woman there have been challenges too. I have been involved with two womens' sailing support groups here in Southern Tassie. Women on Boats at Derwent Sailing Squadron, and Water Women the brainchild of Ginny Gerlach in Cygnet who runs “FLYING” (Friday Ladies Yacht ING) on a weekly basis weather permitting. Both were heaps of fun.
At the Australian Wooden Boat Festival
It had been my ultimate dream to one day sail her back to her birth place Tauranga in New Zealand. I was born in New Zealand and still hold only a New Zealand passport. Yes, I am a Kiwi and hence thought the Maori carving and Kauri wood were ‘meant to be’ for me. Very sadly for me it seems this will all have to remain a dream due to health issues. I can hope that perhaps the next owner will do so and, if I happen to be over there at the time, I may visit her moored back in New Zealand waters - and being enjoyed and looked after.
But for now, WAYFARER II shares a pen in the Oyster Cove Marina with another solo woman skipper who owns a wooden boat also. (We have both changed over to composting toilets too…..but that is another story). Is there perhaps another woman sailor out there who would like to continue on in the same vein? Please contact me as I would be delighted to hear from you. However please don’t let that comment of mine put off any men who will appreciate the wooden craftsmanship inbuilt into this boat, her ease of handling, her strong sailing characteristics, and be proud to own and maintain her for many years to come, even perhaps live aboard and take her off-shore once again. I that is not your whim she is of a very manageable and comfortable size for Australian passages and anchorages nationwide. You would again be justly proud to own her.”
For more information on WAYFARER II contact Tim Stranack at MDBS Broken Bay